| Recruitment solution- ATV's |
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| Written by APB Staff |
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Ask anyone in law enforcement that deals with recruitment and they’ll tell you the same thing. “No one wants to be a cop anymore.” There are several reasons for the phenomenon, including losses of recruits to outfits like Blackwater, diminishing pay and benefits, and a cultural shift away from public service as a way to make a living. But not everyone is struggling to find and hire qualified applicants. In Santa Cruz, California, police have stumbled on to what just may be the key to attracting qualified candidates. The agency says things have gotten a lot better since they bought four all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs. Santa Cruz police say they have become more popular, have done better recruiting people to the agency and made more arrests since the department acquired four all-terrain vehicles earlier this year. “The purchase of the ATVs just does so much for us because people love them,” Capt. Steve Clark told reporters from the Los Angeles Times. “They want to talk to you, wave to you, and kids want to sit on them.” As the captain was making this very point to the reporters, a group of women walking by stopped to check out the vehicles. He climbed off his ATV so one of them could climb into the driver’s seat. “It’s so comfortable,” she said. The Santa Cruz Police Department bought the four 550cc Honda 4 Trax ATV’s for $6,500 each with a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The ATVs are equipped with lights, sirens and off-road tires, and can travel all the way up to 20 mph. While the department does not have hard numbers showing increased arrests as the result of the new vehicles, the anecdotal evidence from police officers suggests that Santa Cruz police are busting up more drug deals and alcohol-related crimes than before because officers on ATVs can sneak up on criminals. Mayor Ryan Coonerty says he’s noticed a change and he credits law enforcement. “I’ve seen a huge, huge difference,” Coonerty told the Los Angeles Times. “You see more people using them. I see more families and people using them to go to and from work, and I think that’s because they feel more safe.” Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Comments (2)
  written by CityCop, September 29, 2008
"People using them to go to and from work"?? I guess ATV's are street-legal there... should only be a matter of time before the criminals use them the same way the cops are, to sneak up on people. We see "bike-by" shootings a lot in our city for the same reason. I suppose a good hint might be when you start seeing "dropped" ATV's with huge chrome rims and blacked-out windshields.
 written by chris , October 06, 2008
are you kiding. im working my but off to get onto a department. i put in well over 32 hours of free work. i paid for ohio's acdamy on my own buck. i also have a bachlors as well. please tell me were you are looking so hard for officers because i know alot of officers looking for departments.
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